RobRae Week 2017
by RobinxRaven writer
Summary: It's officially robrae week! Seven days, seven themes: Mob AU/Detectives AU, Circus, Spies AU, Old and Senile, Power Outage, Partying, and Roommates/College AU.
1. Mob AU

A/N

It's officially RobRae week for 2017! :DDDDDDDDDDD

Day 1: Mob AU or Detective AU

Went with Mob AU cause they're already kind of detectives; at least Robin is. Since this is an AU, no superheroes/supervillains, but of course good guys and bad guys. I guess we're starting off an a serious note here, hmm...

~RobRae Week Day 1~

Richard Grayson slowly opened his eyes, trying to take in his surroundings while ignoring the pounding in his head. The room he was in looked to be some sort of basement, with only one window letting in sunlight from the opposite corner of the room. The room itself was mostly barren; a few chairs, a table, a bunch of random junk against the wall to his left…

He looked down, and saw that he was tied to chair. His hands were cuffed behind him, and a piece of duct tape covered his mouth to stifle any cries for help. After several moments of trying to free his hands, Richard gave up. The pain in his head and torso was making it difficult to move, and whoever had tied him up really didn't want him to leave. Sighing, Richard closed his eyes, thinking about how he'd ended up in this situation.

" _Hey, you're Bruce Wayne's son, right?"_

 _Richard turned around, facing the two large men who had come up behind him in the alleyway. "Technically I'm adopted, which makes me his ward, I guess."_

 _The two men turned to look at each other and shared a laugh. "What's it like being the son of one of the richest men in the world?" The man on the left asked._

 _Richard shrugged. "It's not all that different from how I raised before. He only has one butler, so I have to help out with chores and the like around the manor."_

 _The man on the right whistled. "I bet he gives you one hell of an allowance." He turned to his buddy on the left. "How much you think? A hundred grand? Two hundred grand?"_

 _The left man rubbed his chin. "I think he gets five hundred thousand dollars a week!" Richard didn't realize it, but the two men had been moving slowly and steadily closer to him. "I'm sure you wouldn't mind sparing a buck or two for poor old geezers like us, right?"_

 _Richard stepped back as the men advanced. "Sorry, Bruce doesn't give me any money. I don't even have a debit card." He took another step back and bumped into somebody. He turned around to see a third man with his arms crossed over his chest. He started backing up towards the wall of the alley. "Fella's, hey…" Cursing himself for not recognizing what kind of situation this was, he started looking around for a weapon he could use. "I don't think you'll get away with mugging a billionaire's son." His back hit the cement wall of the alley. If he extended his hand, he might be able to grab the top and pull himself over. But the three muggers were still watching him._

 _He glanced to his left, and saw a wooden plank. Slowly inching in its direction, he kept his eyes on the muggers. "C'mon, you don't have anything to gain by attacking a high-schooler like me." He watched as the men shrugged, and the man in the middle pulled out a knife from his coat pocket._

" _Maybe a regular punk, no. But you ain't a regular punk, are you?"_

 _Richard was close enough to grab the plank. He just need to figure out an escape plan. Use the plank on the man closest to him, then climb the wall behind him… would he have enough time for that? It was either climb the wall or run down the alley and try to make it back onto the main street. There was a slim possibility the man with the knife might throw the blade and take him down._

 _Just a little closer…_

 _Grabbing the plank and swinging it with all his strength, Richard took the first thug down when the plank shattered against his head. The other two were taken by surprise, and hesitated for just a moment. Turning around and jumping, Richard almost made it over the wall. But the other two men had recovered in time to grab him and throw him down to the ground._

" _Where do you think you're going, huh?" Thug #1 asked. "You just gonna attack my friend and run away? That's a crime!"_

 _Richard repressed the urge to call him a hypocrite, but he wouldn't have gotten the chance anyway. Thug #2 had picked him up by his collar, then raised his fist before punching him in the face. Stumbling, Richard tried to reclaim his balance, only to trip over the thug he'd hit with the plank. Said thug then woke up, and angrily kicked him in the stomach._

 _"You brat!"_

 _Richard clutched his stomach, trying to crawl away. One of the men picked him back up, and he was able to shake his grasp off and ready his fists. He ducked beneath the first punch and countered by hitting the thug in his stomach, but the man barely reacted. The second thug grabbed his arm and punched him twice, letting Richard fall to the ground in pain._

" _Wait! I have an idea." One of the thugs said._

" _Yeah, what?" Another replied._

" _Let's take him to the boss." The alley fell silent, and the thug continued. "We might be able to hold this rich kid for ransom. Think of it! We can get millions!"_

 _The alley fell silent once more, and Richard craned his neck up to see the three men looking down on him. "Sorry kid, but you're in a heap of trouble."  
_

 _He lost consciousness when the man kicked him the face._

He was drawn out of his thoughts when the door opened and the lights turned on, momentarily blinding him. Richard blinked a few times to adjust his eyes to the lights, and looked up at the man who had entered the room. He recognized him from the news reports, and not the good kind.

Standing a little over six feet tall, with disheveled hair, a five o'clock shadow, and an eyepatch over his right eye, was Slade Wilson, one of the most notorious crime lords in Gotham. He was notorious because no matter what he was accused of and no matter what evidence was tied to him, he somehow always avoided jail time. He was probably paid up with the right people.

He watched Richard silently for a moment, then extended one hand forward and pulled the rag down, allowing Richard to speak. "What do you want with me?" He kept his voice even and steady, not letting an ounce of fear into his words.

"I'm sure you can imagine." Slade's voice was smooth, yet his words were arrogant. "It's simple, really; I'll be holding for you ransom. If I get my money, you're free to go, if not…" Slade trailed off, rubbing his chin. "Well, it won't be good for you."

"You won't get away with this." Richard said. "When I get out of here, I swear I'll-"

"Do. Nothing. Because there is nothing you _can_ do." Slade cut him off, turning around walking towards the door. "You'll be down here until I have no further use for you, one way or the other." He left the room, only to return a moment later with a polaroid camera. He held it up and said, "Now say cheese." After examining the pictures, he picked up the rag and silenced Richard again.

Then, he turned the lights off, leaving the room. He could hear Slade locking the door, and lowered his head with a sigh.

~Mob AU~

Richard had fallen asleep at some point, because the sunlight was no longer illuminating the room. He looked up when he heard the locks jostling and the door slowly creaking open. He kept his eyes closed, and this time wasn't completely blinded when the lights turned on. Slowly opening his eyes, he saw that it wasn't Slade standing in front of him, like he'd expected.

A young woman was in front of him, holding a tray. She was incredibly pale, almost like she hadn't been outside in years. Her jet-black hair was cut short so it stopped just above her chin, and her purple eyes gazed at him with a despondent apathy. She took off his gag off and asked, "How are you feeling?" He noticed her voice was raspy and quiet.

He didn't answer her, turning his head and looking to the side.

The girl sighed. "Look, I'm supposed to take care of you, so don't be difficult with me." She sounded slightly annoyed, but Richard didn't apologize, nor did he turn back to look at her. A moment passed. "Really?" She asked, this time clearly annoyed.

"Really. If you want to take care of me, call the cops and let me go." He snapped.

"Believe me, I want to. I don't want to be your nanny." The girl said. "But unfortunately, it's not up to me."

"Why not?" Richard asked, turning to look at the girl. She didn't answer, just sighed and grabbed the bowl off the tray. He rolled his eyes. "I see, it's because you're just another criminal."

"I am _not_." The girl glared at him, narrowing her eyes and lowering her voice. "I have no say over what happens to you anymore than I have a say with what happens to me."

Richard hesitated, just for a moment. "Were you kidnapped too?"

"No." She answered. "It's more complicated than that."

He scoffed. "You work for criminals, but somehow that doesn't make you a criminal. Sounds complicated."

The girl sighed and shook her head, taking a spoonful of soup and holding it up. Richard kept his mouth closed, but his stomach betrayed him, growling loudly. He hadn't eaten since breakfast. The girl smirked, proffering the spoon up towards him. _"This is degrading…"_ He thought opening his mouth, really hoping his face wasn't as red as it felt like.

"Just deal with it. It'll be over with soon." The girl sounded almost apologetic. At least he knew that the girl wasn't enjoying this any more than he was. The girl continued to feed him, and in a few minutes the soup was gone. She held up a glass of water, which mercifully had a straw in it, sparing him further humiliation.

The girl stood up and put the gag back on, walking out of the room after turning the lights off. Richard exhaled through his nose, wondering how long he would be stuck down here.

~Mob AU~

Two days passed.

The girl would came to feed him once a day, but other than that he was left alone. He could hear people walking around and talking on the floor above him, but he couldn't make out what they were saying.

Four days passed. The girl who came to feed him, although not hostile towards him, certainly wasn't friendly with him. Richard's attempt to figure out where he was, who _she_ was, and what was going on with the whole ransom deal didn't bear any fruit. Usually, she would shove the spoon in his mouth when he tried talking, dodge his questions, then leave without a word when she was finished with her duties.

A week passed.

The night of the eighth day, Slade returned. He did not look happy. Behind him walked in a new person, one Richard hadn't seen up till now. The new guy was built like a tank, seemingly eight feet tall, extremely muscular; he looked more like a stone statue than a person.

"Guess what?" Slade asked, his tone low, angry, and very controlled.

"You've had a change of heart and decided to let me go?"

"Almost." Slade glared down at him. "I think it's a little inhumane to keep you down here for too long, so today were going for a drive." He turned to the man beside him. "If you wouldn't mind."

The man grunted, then walked up and put a blindfold over Richard's eyes. His legs were unbound, and so were his hands. After he was forced to stand, his hands were once again bound behind his back. Then, the large man picked him up and put Richard over his shoulder, carrying him up the stairs and out of the building. He could barely see through the edges of his blindfold, but he couldn't see enough to determine where he was.

Richard was suddenly thrown through the air, and he landed with a groan on something cold and metal. He could hear something similar to a garage door closing, and the ground started to rumble. He was in the back of a truck, most likely a moving truck where the inside couldn't be viewed by others in traffic. He pulled himself into a sitting position, wobbling slightly as the truck accelerated. For several minutes, Richard awkwardly sat in silence in the back of the hot, stuffy truck.

"I think we're good." He heard Slade say. There was rustling, and Robin could just barely make out the sounds of a cell phone beeping over the engine. "Are you ready?" There was a grunt from the large man, somewhere to his right. "Mr. Wayne, hello." Richard sat up when Slade started talking. "Me? I'm the man who has your son. Yes, that's right. Because it's been over a week since we sent you the request, and yet the dummy account we told you to wire the funds to hasn't changed at all." There was a pause. "He's fine, for now."

Richard grunted when he was punched in the stomach, caught completely off guard. He could barely make out Bruce yelling on the other end of the phone. Slade continued to talk. "But I've run out of patience. Everyday you don't give us the money, I'm going to break him just a little bit more. And I've got seven days to catch up on."

Several blows collided with his face, his chest, his head was knocked against the wall, and he felt a steel-toed boot dig into his stomach. Groaning, Richard curled into the fetal position, trying his best to defend against the large man attacking him.

"I recommend not holding out me for much longer." The truck fell silent, and Richard heard Slade walking over to him. "Well, it was fun to get out of the house for a little while, but I've business to attend to." Slade said, standing over him. "We'll go on another little vacation soon."

~Mob AU~

Richard hit a cold cement floor, presumably dropped back off in the room where he'd originally been held. The door closed, and for several minutes the only sound that could be heard was his heavy breathing as he tried to regain his composure.

The door opened. He heard a gasp as she walked into the room. Footsteps could be heard as someone sprinted over to him, and a moment later his blindfold came off. "Oh my god…" The girl from before muttered as she knelt down and gingerly laid a hand on his shoulder. "What did they do to you?"

"What do you think?!" He hissed as he tried to sit up. His legs were still tied together, and the girl helped to steady him. He leaned away, trying to scoot back. "You can't be possibly so naive to think that they wouldn't hurt me while they held me prisoner here."

The girl opened her mouth, but hesitated before she said anything. She frowned and looked at the ground, away from Richard. "Stay here, I'll be right back." She sighed, standing and hurrying out of the room. He doubted he could make it far with his injuries anyways. He was able to slide his arms under his legs so his hands were in front of him, but the effort to move through the pain left him exhausted.

A minute later, the girl returned, holding various items in her arms. He eyed her warily as she set everything down; bandages, a few different pill bottles, a glass of water, a blanket, and two ice packs. She held up a pair of scissors. "I'm going to have cut your shirt to look at your wounds." She explained. "Hold still…" She said as she cut Richard's shirt, vertically up to his neckline and at the sleeves, pulling it off as she finished. The girl grimaced. "Oh… I thought I saw Brick earlier…"

She sighed, very gently pressing the tips of her fingers against the bruises that had formed. The contrasting heat of his body and the cold of her hands caused him to shiver, and though her touch was light, the pain caused him to inhale sharply. "You might have some cracked ribs, but there's no way of knowing for certain without an x-ray. Here." She opened the cap on the pill bottles, poured a few into her hand, then held up the glass of water.

"These should help with any pain and swelling." She told him. Tilting his head back and slowly pouring the water into his mouth, she dropped the painkillers in and made sure they went down. He nodded. "Alright, I'm going to put these bandages on to set your ribs in place, in case there's damage we can't see. Hold your arms over your head."

Richard complied, holding his breath and clenching his teeth as the girl quickly tied the bandages around his chest. He lowered his arms, exhaling shakily as the strain on his arms went away. The girl moved in front of him, placing both hands on his cheeks and looking into his eyes. "Are you dizzy? Nauseous? Have blurry vision?"

"No. I have a bit of a headache." He told her.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" She asked.

"Three." He answered correctly.

"Hm… I don't think you have a concussion… but…" The girl trailed off, standing up and running a hand through her hair. She walked out of the room, returning with a chair and a book. "I'm going to stay down here to keep an eye on you." The girl set the book down on the seat of the chair, then took the blanket and wrapped it around Richard.

"So what, are you the doctor for all the criminals in the east end?" Richard asked, grabbing the ice packs off the floor and pressing them against his chest.

"I suppose so." Was all she said, opening her book and setting the bookmark on the nearby table.

"Hmph. I guess even criminals look after their own." He said.

"I. Am _not_. A criminal." She gripped the book tighter. "I don't break the law. I don't rob or murder or kidnap, so _don't_ lump me in with the rest of them."

"An accomplice to a crime is still a criminal." Richard told her.

The girl shook her head. "Well, I wasn't given a choice." She said quietly, sounding almost… sad. No, tired.

"What does that mean?" He asked, looking up at her.

It was almost five minutes before she talked again, and when she did, the girl didn't look at him. "My mother… she had a very weak heart, some sort of condition where she couldn't be put under much stress. And unfortunately, birthing a child is very stressful. She passed away and left me with my dad, who…" She sighed, lowering the book to her lap and gazing down at the ground, "Was a drug dealer, and a criminal who worked for Slade. He died in a police chase when I was just a child, and Slade was the one who took me in."

The girl looked at him, anger evident in her eyes. "I don't want to be here. I don't want to work for Slade, I don't want to patch up criminals, and I certainly don't want to hear any smart ass remarks from a rich kid who doesn't understand that!" She picked up her book and held it in front of her face, blocking Richard from her view.

The room fell silent. Richard stared at her unmoving form for a moment, before looking up at the ceiling. "Haven't you ever tried to leave?" He asked. "I mean, if you don't want to live this kind of life…"

"I did, once. When he found me…" The girl didn't finish. "I haven't tried again. I've still got the scars."

Richard's eyes widened in shock. Suddenly, the girl in front of him seemed to change completely while seeming completely the same. The girl had never talked about herself, rarely gave him a direct answer to any of his questions, and promptly left as soon as she was able to. And because of that, Richard had never given much thought to who she might _really_ be. He'd never thought about what her story might've been. But now that he did know, he felt… sorry for the girl.

His own parents had died when he was young, too. If Bruce hadn't been in attendance that night, he might still be in an orphanage, waiting to be adopted until he was kicked out the day he turned eighteen. What then? Would he have to turn to a life of crime to survive? He might have even become a criminal sooner. How could he pass judgement on someone when they had no control over their own life?

"What's your name?" Richard asked.

"Why do you want to know that?" She mumbled.

"So I can thank you."

The girl lowered her book. "...Rachel." She answered slowly.

Richard nodded. "Thank you, Rachel, for keeping me alive. If things work out, I promise to repay you someday."

It looked like she almost smiled. "You're welcome."

~Mob AU~

The next day, Slade showed up. He intended on keeping his threat of torturing Richard everyday until he got his money. He set up a digital camcorder and, after putting a mask on, started to attack. Richard could only close his eyes and wait until it was over. Luckily, Slade only only hurt him for a merciful two minutes, but he was still left in a lot of pain after Slade left. After he finished, Rachel came down and looked after him, doing her best to ease his pain.

The same pattern repeated the next day, and the day after that.

On the eleventh day of his capture, after Slade had left him beaten on the floor, Rachel came down and did her best to help him. "You can't endure much more of this." She muttered. "You'll die if this keeps happening."

"I… don't have… any way to… change things…" He wheezed, trying to open one eye to look at her. "It's out… of my hands…"

She closed her eyes, resting a hand on his. She sighed, wondering what she could do to help him. Painkillers obviously wouldn't heal him, and Slade wouldn't stop until he was either given the money or Richard was dead.

"Rachel…" His voice came out weak and raspy.

She opened her eyes and looked down at him. "What?" She asked quietly. He didn't respond. "Richard? Hey." Her hands started to shake. "Richard?" His eyes were closed, and it didn't look like he was breathing. She covered her mouth with one hand. Slowly, she put the other on his chest.

His heart was beating weakly. Some small ounce of relief coursed through her, but it didn't stay. _"He'll die tomorrow. Maybe even tonight. If I don't do something, when Slade comes down he won't survive the next session."_ Rachel swallowed, then stood slowly. _"I have to do something. His life is in my hands."_

~Mob AU~

Richard woke up, but he didn't open his eyes. He felt heavy, as though he'd put on a couple of hundred pounds.

 _Beep_

He heard something in the background, but ignored it as feeling came back to his body. There was something plastic in his mouth, going down his throat, and he felt a wire under his nose. He was laying on something soft.

 _Beep_

Slowly, he opened his eyes. The harsh white lighting made him want to close his eyes again. The white tiles above him were different than the wooden beams in the basement, confirming that he was somewhere else. He could make out curtains to his right. Slowly, he tilted his head and looked around.

 _Beep_

The EKG machine to his left, as well as the IV drip hooked up to his arm, revealed to him that he was in a hospital. But how did he get here? He closed his eyes again, too tired and in too much pain to try figuring it out.

~Mob AU~

The next day, he awoke when the nurse walked into his room and began checking up on him. She ran out of the room and got Bruce and Alfred, who were both delighted to see that he'd woken up.

"You've been in a coma for four days, Master Richard." Alfred told him. "We were starting to believe that that madman Slade had sent you to the angels." He exhaled, the tension visibly leaving his shoulders. "But we're glad to have you back."

Bruce and Alfred took turns telling him what had happened.

Apparently, an anonymous caller had tipped off the police to Richard's location. A police force of nearly one hundred officers had stormed the penthouse where he was being held, and Slade had been apprehended and charged with kidnapping, torture, and assaulting a minor. He'd been sentenced to 50 years in prison with no chance for early release. Richard himself had been found in critical condition and taken to St. Georgia's hospital, where he'd spent the past four days recovering.

~Mob AU~

After a month and a half long stay in the hospital, Richard was finally deemed to be in stable enough condition to leave, on the terms that he get plenty of rest and avoid any strenuous activities.

~Mob AU~

Three months later, Richard was walking through the park, looking for Victor and Garfield. They'd agreed to meet up and hang out, but he may have arrived before they did. Again. Sighing, he walked along the sidewalk, looking for a bench to sit down at to pass the time. There was one coming up, but someone was laying on it. By the looks of their tattered clothes and open can on the ground in front of them, they were probably homeless. Reaching into his wallet and pulling out a few dollar bills, he stopped and put the money in the can. He put his wallet away and continued walking as the person on the bench stirred.

"Richard?"

He turned around, and his eyes widened. "Rachel? Is that you?" His jaw dropped. "Oh my god, what happened?" He asked as he hurried back over to the bench. She looked horribly thin, and her hair was greasy. Her eyes were gaunt and hollow, with dark circles beneath them. There was dirt smudged on her neck.

She laughed weakly. "I didn't have anywhere to go when Slade got arrested." She said. "So, I ended up on the streets."

Richard took off his jacket and wrapped it around her. "Are you alright?" He asked, rubbing her arms and looking at her worriedly. It was 50 degrees out, and it was getting colder as the fall turned to winter. Rachel was wearing a tattered blue hoodie and ripped jeans.

"I should be asking you that. The last time I saw you, you were badly injured and barely alive." She said, looking over him.

"I'm fine!" He exclaimed. How could she be worrying about him when she was the one who clearly needed help? He was about to continue, but she cut him off.

"I'm glad. Means it wasn't for nothing."

"Huh?" His brow furrowed in confusion.

"I called the cops and told them where you were." She said, sitting down on the bench. "Then, I gathered my stuff and left. Course, everything I had is gone now. I don't even have a change of clothes." She laughed again, but a coughing fit overcame her, and Richard placed a hand on her back. She didn't look at him when she recovered, just closed her eyes and shivered again.

Richard stood and took his phone out of his pocket. Dialing in Alfred's phone number, he held the phone up to his ear.

" _Master Richard. Is everything alright?"_

"Not quite. Can you bring the car back?" Richard asked.

" _Of course, sir. I'll be there as soon as possible."_

"Thanks." Richard said goodbye and hung up. "Come on." He extended one hand to Rachel.

She looked at him, confused. "What?"

"You saved my life. It's only fair that I return the favour. One good turn deserves another." He said, smiling widely. Rachel looked at him perplexed, then down at herself. For a second, he was afraid she'd turn him down, but then she looked up at him and grinned, light returning to her eyes. Rachel took his hand allowed herself to be pulled up.

Together, the two walked down the path he'd originally come up. Richard quickly shot a text to Garfield, telling him that something had come up and he wouldn't be able to hang out. He decided he'd tell them about Rachel some other time. For now, he opened the door and allowed her to get in (much to Alfred's chagrin, who was accustomed to opening the car door for others).

After walking around and getting in the rear passenger seat, Richard said, "Rachel, this is Alfred. Alfred, this is Rachel."

"Pleased to meet you, Miss Rachel." Alfred greeted

"Uh… good afternoon." She responded awkwardly.

"Alfred, Rachel is going to be staying with us for a while." Richard said.

Alfred tilted the rearview mirror, taking in Rachel's... rather lacking appearance. "I see…. Well, any friend of Master Richard's is welcome in the House of Wayne." He put the rearview mirror back in position. "But Master Richard, if I were you I might come up with a strong reason to convince Master Bruce to let your friend stay with us. I may not be able to tell you no, but he certainly can."

~Mob AU~

It turned out, "She kept me alive while I was captured and was the anonymous caller who led to my freedom and she's not even close to being a criminal" was a very strong reason to allow her a guest room and an indefinite stay.

After a shower, a change of clothes (which were technically Richard's, but he promised to take her into town tomorrow so she could get some of her own), and a large dinner, Richard found himself walking down the large, spacious corridors to his room, Rachel beside him. She'd been given the room next to his, so Alfred had entrusted him to take her there on his own.

"Here we are." He said, opening the door to the empty room. "It's not much now, but you're free to add your own personal touch it." Richard smiled and turned to look at her, waiting for a response.

"I don't know what to say." She murmured.

Richard chuckled. "How about- oof!" He stopped when Rachel suddenly turned and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a hug. He was taken by surprise, and wasn't able to return the gesture because she pulled away just as quickly as she had moved forward. Then, suddenly, she disappeared into her room.

Even though he'd wanted to return the hug, Richard could be content with the truly genuine smile Rachel gave him just before she closed the door.

~Mob AU~

A/N

This might be my longest one-shot yet. It's over five thousand words long.

It was fun to write this! Seriously, I love writing for this ship. It was kind of dark and could've had some more interaction between Robin and Raven, but overall I'm happy with the way it turned out. Luckily, there are a few themes later this week that'll be more light hearted. Let me know what you thought of this!


	2. Circus

A/N

There's a difference between a carnival, an amusement park, a circus, and a fair, but because we give zero *************** we're just going to blend them all into one messy area that serves as the setting. And that has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that we haven't been to any of those in years.

;)

~Circus~

She felt his emotions long before he showed up at her door. She was always of his emotions, aware of everyone's emotions because they lived together, but for some reason his had just suddenly spiraled and been thrown into turmoil. And though she wasn't aware of his exact position in the tower, she knew he was getting closer because his hurricane of emotions of was growing in intensity.

Slightly curious, Raven put the bookmark in between the pages of the novella she was reading and looked to the door, unsure whether or not Robin was coming to her room or was simply passing by. The knock at her door gave her an answer. Standing and setting the book down on her nightstand, she quickly made her way over to the door and opened it, fully expecting to be told that a meeting would be taking place soon.

But as she opened the door, the maelstrom of emotions suddenly ceased as Robin gave a small smile. "Hey." He greeted. Raven noticed that he was dressed casually, wearing an orange t-shirt and jeans, without the mask.

"Hey." She echoed, suddenly confused as to what she had just felt against her empathic shields.

But suddenly, his emotions started titling again. "It's a nice day out today." He paused and kicked the ground with his foot, "Do you want to go do something?" And by the time he finished his question his emotions were back to all over the place, mostly in the negative.

Raven raised an eyebrow. _"What's going on with him?"_ She paid close attention to his feelings as she asked, "Like what?" They paused… if emotions could pause. It was more like hesitation.

"Well… the circus is in town. How does that sound?" He asked.

Truthfully, she wasn't sure. Normally she would've declined the trip to the circus, but for some reason Robin was acting strange and she wanted to know why. The only way to figure it out was to talk to him, and spending all day in her room wouldn't help. She felt Robin's emotions start to plummet when she didn't answer.

"Sounds like fun." She said. It wasn't a total lie; Robin had told her about Haly's circus after she'd gone into his mind, and all the different attractions _did_ appeal to her, but she was slightly miffed that he'd interrupted her reading. _Slightly_ because the tension visibly left his shoulders and he smiled widely at her response, only fueling the curiosity within her.

"Great! I was thinking we'd go undercover so we don't get heckled." Robin said, motioning to his casual dress state.

"Good idea. I'll meet you out front after I change." Raven said. He nodded, and she closed the door. Throwing her cloak off and slipping out of her leotard, she grabbed a pair of denim cut-off shorts and a dark purple blouse out of her closet and put them on, then grabbed a pair of dark grey converse high-tops out of the dozens of shoes Starfire had bought for her lying in the bottom of her closet.

After using a mirage spell to hide the gem on her forehead, she phased through the walls and descended to the ground. Robin had already started up his bike and was holding an extra helmet for Raven. She put it on, climbed on behind him, and he started on the underground path that led to Jump City. The path itself ended below an "abandoned" parking garage, which allowed the Titans to enter the city inconspicuously whenever they were called out to fight crime.

The ride to the circus was quiet, allowing Raven to appreciate how nice a day it really was. There were scattered clouds, but it was still warm, which had contrasted with the intense air-conditioned interior of the tower. There was a cool, steady breeze that served to counteract the heat so it wasn't overbearing. All in all, it was the epitome of a perfect spring day.

After they'd arrived and found a parking spot, Robin payed for two tickets. Raven took in her surroundings as they walked inside.

Booths lined the path leading in from the entrance, with various games for patrons to try out. There was a ferris wheel further back, most likely on the opposite side of the park. There were a few roller coasters that ran along the outer sides of the park, and Raven could see tents of varying sizes scattered throughout. The largest tent was in the center of the park.

"So what do you want do first?" Robin asked as they walked up to a board, which had a timetable for all the various events going on. "We've got some time to kill until we the acrobatics show starts." He started walking ahead, and she hurried to catch up to him.

Raven looked at him. She hadn't come here to have fun; she'd come here because something was up with him. "I'm not sure." She said, intentionally being vague. The best way to observe a robin in its natural habitat was for it to _not_ know it was being observed (probably). Since they'd left the tower, Raven had noticed a slight nervousness underneath a mostly calm and content feeling, but otherwise his emotions had been mostly stable.

"Well, let's look around." Robin smiled and they walked around at a leisurely pace, occasionally stopping at some of the booths to play games. Robin excelled at the ring toss (and Raven called him a cheater. Robin just gave her a knowing wink), and Raven did decently at a booth where people tried to pop balloons with darts. She failed at the rifle shooting, however, only managing to walk away with a couple of measly pixie sticks.

"What a waste of money." Raven grumbled. "We spent ten dollars on items that are worth twenty five cents at the store."

"You're just upset because you didn't win anything." Robin was holding a toy sword in one hand and a slinky in the other, opting to go for smaller prizes instead of carrying around one large prize for the rest of the day.

"Well, not all of us get to use our skills that we've spent years developing to help us cheat." She glared at him, but he only laughed.

"No one said you couldn't use magic to pop balloons or help with the rifle shooting game." He said with a shrug.

"It was _your_ idea to go undercover." She pointed out. "It would draw a lot of attention to you and I if a dozen balloons popped with one dart throw, or if multiple ducks fell with one pellet shot." She threw the empty pixie sticks into a nearby trashcan. "But you throw birdarangs and workout daily, so nothing here is going to pose a challenge to you the same way it does to me."

"Well if you like, we can install a skeet shot on the roof. Then you can practice with a rifle, and the next we come here you can win that stuffed bear you wanted so badly." Robin said.

"Please. As if I'd ever have use for a gun outside of frivolous, expensive games." She paused. "And I have no use for a stuffed animal."

"Sure." He had that cheeky grin that was telling of his sarcasm. "That's why you lit up when the man called out to you, and pouted when you lost, aaaaaand why you went twice. I guess those candies really were with ten dollars."

Raven playfully shoved his arm. When his grin only widened, she rolled her eyes and said, "Fine, maybe I was playing for the bear." Then, almost so quietly he didn't hear it she added, "I thought it was cute."

Wondering whether or not he'd heard her correctly (because when had Raven of all people ever referred to something as cute?), Robin looked back at the booth they'd walked away from.

" _The acrobatics show will start in ten minutes! Come and get your tickets now! Again, the acrobatics show will start in ten minutes!"_

They both looked up at the speaker which had activated. "Do you wanna go now or do you wanna walk around some more?" Robin asked. He looked at the watch on his wrist. "We might have time for one or two things."

"Do you really want to watch a bunch of acrobats?" Raven asked. "I mean... You're an acrobat." She pointed at him.

He laughed. "It's fun!"

Raven only raised an eyebrow. "What's fun watching a bunch of people do the same things you do? If I wanted to watch an acrobat, I would watch you train. And, that has the added benefit of being free."

"You say that, but I might charge you." Robin teased. "Well, if you don't want to watch them I suppose we can keep walking around." He said, continuing along the path in front of them.

" _Okay, he didn't want to come here for the acrobats. I probably would've felt major disappoint coming from him if that were the case."_ She thought. _"Maybe I'd find out if I just ask."_ She caught up to him and asked, "Is there anything you want to do?"

"Hmm…" He rubbed his chin in thought. "I want to ride _that_." He said gleefully.

Raven followed his extended hand to where he was pointing: one of the roller coasters. "Why?" She asked. _"Surely all this wasn't for a roller coaster."_

She almost heard him roll his eyes. "Because, it's fun!" He laughed.

Raven shrugged, but walked on nonetheless. "Maybe. If you can't fly."

The smug grin on her face didn't escape his notice. "Oh, now that was just plain rude."

After going on the roller coaster (which Raven would deny screaming her head off and having fun on), stopping to grab a couple of corn dogs, going on a ship that swung back and forth like a pendulum, getting lost in the hall of mirrors, and finally stopping at the bathrooms, a few hours had passed and Robin and Raven had walked around the length of the circus at least twice, even if they hadn't tried everything yet.

And in the vein of things they hadn't tried yet, the ferris wheel towered over them as they waited in line to get on.

She noticed for the first time since arriving that Robin's emotions had tilted slightly again. There had been a slight nervous energy present, but Raven had brushed it off, assuming Robin was worried they might be attacked. After politely asking, "Rae, wanna get on the ferris wheel?" (which was odd enough), his emotions whirled when he asked her then soared when she said yes, then calmed suddenly as they got in line.

Raven had of course asked what the point of the ferris wheel was ("I can fly and you have a grappling hook that take you up skyscrapers."), and had expected the usual response (It'll be fun!"). But she got a different response from him instead. Just a simple smile and another tilt to his feelings.

" _What could be possibly be so interesting and frightening about a dumb roller coaster?"_ Raven pondered. As the line continued to move forward, Raven was utterly confused. She could only hope that she'd get an answer soon.

They were finally allowed into the carriage, which was by no means small, though not necessarily as spacious as she would've preferred. Robin had longer legs than her, and their knees almost touched as they sat down opposite each other. Their carriage wobbled as the ferris wheel rotated, and a silence fell between them.

At first it had been peaceful, but Raven felt a slow tension begin emanating from Robin. She locked eyes with him, and wasn't sure what she was waiting for. He didn't look away, and Raven pursed her lips slightly. She saw that he was tense in various ways; the tightness of his jaw, the way his shoulders were squared, his hands clenched into fists in his lap, the way his brow was slightly furrowed, and of course his emotions shifting back and forth across the spectrum all led Raven to ask, "Is everything alright?"

He straightened up slightly at her question. "Yeah, why wouldn't I-"

"Tell the truth. You've been feeling weird all day, because I've been sensing it too." She saw his eyes widen slightly and figured he must've forgotten that she was an empath. "Is something going on?" She pressed, trying to get a straight answer out of him with a direct approach.

He didn't answer immediately, but instead smiled and looked out the window. "Nope. I just wanted to spend some time with you, that's all."

Raven felt that he was telling the truth, his emotions free of any guilt that would normally accompany a lie. "But you spend time with me everyday." She said. "And you don't feel strange then." She continued. "So what's so different about today?"

He sighed, and she swore she felt disappointment. But _why?_

"We do spend time together everyday, but so much of it is spent fighting crime, or dealing with police reports, or putting up with the other Titans antics. I just wanted to spend time with you as a normal person, doing regular things." He finally said, keeping his gaze on the horizon.

Raven felt sadness wash through him and thought, _"Why would spending time with me cause him so much strife? Why would admitting it make him sad? I cannot understand what is going on inside his head right now."_ She leaned forward slightly, touching her knee against his. "Well, I'm having fun." She said honestly. "I like spending time with you. Even _if_ we're usually being heroes."

He turned to her and smiled. "Me too."

~Circus~

After they got off the ferris wheel, they went and watched several events after the acrobatics event finished. Raven was impressed with strongman ("There's something you couldn't you do!"), the contortionists, and the lion tamers. The magic show, the knife throwing, dancing, and a few others didn't stick with her so much.

The sun was starting to sink lower in the sky, and the two titans decided to call it a day and head home.

As they headed back out to the main entrance, they passed by many of the same booths. Most of the booth runners looked bored, since the circus was about to close for the day. They looked at the phones or stared into space. Some even closed down their games early, leaving and talking to the other circus workers.

One of the booth workers called out to them as they passed. "Hey there folks!" The man said in a friendly voice. "Leaving already?" Raven recognized the man and his booth as the one housing the rifle shooting game, where she'd walked away with only a couple of candy sticks.

"Yeah, we decided to call it a day." Robin said, taking a couple of steps towards the man.

The man turned to Raven. "You were just gonna leave without your prize?" He asked her in a knowing voice, trying to tempt her with the bear again.

She wasn't going to take the bait. "Sorry, but I don't have any more money to spend." She lied. The _real_ reason she wasn't trying again was because she didn't want to spend another five dollars only to end up with a pixie stick.

The man turned to Robin. "How about you? I'm sure your girlfriend would be _reaaally_ happy if you won this for her!" He asked with a sing-song voice.

She wasn't surprised to feel the rush of embarrassment come from Robin. He reacted the same way when someone (aka Cyborg) teased him about Starfire. But what did surprise her was that Robin didn't deny the man's insinuation or sputter or generally act embarrassed; instead he pulled out his wallet and handed the man his last five dollar bill.

"Alright, you know the drill. Hit the pink duck when it appears and you get the prize, otherwise…" He gestured to the smaller trinkets, most of which were not worth five dollars.

Robin picked up the pellet gun, and the man started the game. The ducks started to move back and forth, and cheesy, upbeat music started to play. Robin actually did pretty well considering he'd never used a gun before. Each shot took down one duck after the other, and when the pink duck appeared, Robin took his time lining up the shot as moved erratically around on the track. He pulled the trigger and… the pellet hit the duck, but it didn't fall down. 

"Oh I'm sorry!" The man exclaimed as the game ended. "You didn't get the big game, so you didn't get the prize."

Raven was almost certain she'd never seen Robin pout before now.

"But I'll tell ya what. How about I give you another chance on the house?" The man asked, getting ready to start the game up again.

"Alright, but if I hit that duck I don't want to get charged afterwards!" Robin grinned, getting ready.

The man held up his right hand and started up the game again. "I promise."

Raven watched as Robin held up the rifle… and didn't shoot the ducks. The man running the booth raised an eyebrow, and Raven was confused as well. The game continued to run, the ducks continued to move slowly back and forth, and Robin still refused to shoot. Finally, the pink duck appeared, and Robin quickly fired off three shots, each hitting their mark. The pink duck fell down and the game ended shortly thereafter.

"Well I'll be…" The man grabbed the stuffed bear and held it out to Robin, but snatched it away as soon as he reached for it. "How'd you figure out the trick?"

Robin shrugged. "I thought for a second that the duck wouldn't fall down no matter how many times I hit it, but then I remembered something I had been told as a kid." He couldn't help but grin. "Most shooting games like these are designed to trick you; the more smaller targets you hit, the harder it is to take down the big target. So I figured if I didn't shoot any little ducks, the pink one would fall over with one shot."

The man laughed, allowing Robin to take the bear from his hands. "So you're a circus kid, huh?"

"Something like that." Robin said, turning around and handing the stuffed bear to Raven. She could feel the pride rolling off him. "You ready to go?" He asked, turning around quickly. His blush didn't escape her notice, however, and it probably didn't escape the booth workers notice, either.

~Circus~

It wasn't until they arrived at the tower that Raven had put everything together.

The only explanation for Robin's strange behaviour; his maelstrom of emotions, his desire to spend time with her, the fact that he hadn't invited the others (though she wasn't necessarily complaining about that), and that Robin had gone out of his way to win the bear she was currently holding and that he hadn't denied the man's claims of Robin being her boyfriend all led her to believe he had a crush on her.

In her defense, she wasn't 100% certain as to whether Robin had a crush on her or not. After all, he hadn't asked her out on a date, just asked her to go the circus and relax as "normal people". He hadn't flirted with her (though she wasn't exactly keen as to what should and should not be considered flirting), nor had he tried to hold her hand or hug her, or generally act as a flirting boy would. The closest they had gotten was on the roller coaster when Raven had clung onto him, trying not to fall off.

So, as they walked through the halls after exiting the elevator, Raven turned and stopped him, deciding that asking him directly would be better for her than talking to herself as to whether or not Robin liked her romantically. "Robin." He tilted his head slightly, "Was today supposed to be a date?"

She sensed the fear as well as saw it. He straightened up and said, "I never said it was." He answered slowly. His face had turned slightly red.

"But you wanted it to be?" She asked.

"Did you?" He asked, and Raven felt curiosity and hope coming off him, though the fear was still there as well.

"I asked first."

Robin didn't answer immediately, but when he did his voice was quiet. "I did." He said, giving her a small smile.

"How come you didn't say so?" She asked.

"Honestly? I thought you'd say no." He exhaled. Turning and walking forward he said, "I had planned on asking you out officially after a few "friendly outings", but you caught on to me immediately." Robin laughed and turned around, clearly embarrassed.

"Why would I say no?" Raven asked.

"Huh?" Robin looked slightly stunned. "You mean you wanted to-"

"If you asked me properly next time, I'm saying I wouldn't be opposed to going somewhere as a couple." She said. "I'm not head over heels in love with you, but out of everyone I know… I like you the most." Raven clarified, and couldn't help but appreciate the small smile she got out of him. "So next time, don't be afraid to ask, alright?" He nodded, and Raven walked past him saying, "I'm going to help the others get dinner ready."

As soon as she disappeared from view, Robin threw his fists into the air.

~Circus~

A/N

This was ridiculously difficult to write. I kid you not, I spent four days editing, deleting, re-writing and slaving over this. And honestly I'm still not happy with the end result, but I wanted to post something for everyday this week so I go this is to as close as acceptable as I could and now you have it.


	3. Spies AU

A/N

Not as polished as I would've preferred, but hey, nothing can be done now.

~Spies AU~

Raven slid her ID card through the security panel, causing the lab door to slide open with a quiet hiss. All of the scientists had left hours ago, making her job much easier. All she'd have to worry about were security guards making their rounds, but she'd memorized their patterns two days before; even if they deviated from the norm, her silenced pistol would make quick, if messy, work of them.

Luck was on her side, it seemed. She stayed silent and out of sight as she made her way through the laboratory, tensing up only once when one of the nearby guards stopped and observed the room she was in. She exhaled lightly as he continued making his rounds.

It didn't take long for her to find the room she was looking for. The server room was unlocked, and that should've been her first warning, but she took it as a stroke of luck (she could've opened the door with a lockpick, but the sooner she got in, the sooner she got out). Quickly opening her backpack and pulling out several USB thumb drives, she got to work.

Her second warning was the missing security guard. One was supposed to pass by while she was in the room, but his footsteps couldn't be heard out the door. She didn't realize he wasn't there because of how focused she was on her work.

After closing the door (and making sure to keep it unlocked so no one would suspect anything), she quickly made it to her exit point; a window on the fifth floor that would lead onto the roof of the nearby building. Her third warning, one she couldn't have picked up on, was that the window leading outside was locked. There only way she could've known something was wrong was if she found out that the window was normally unlocked during the day.

But her fourth warning was the door closing behind her with an audible click.

Turning around, she found the familiar face of the man codenamed Robin, head of the private security force for Wayne Enterprises, and a man she'd run into several times before. Not only that, but she was quick to deny any claims that he'd successfully stopped her in all her missions before.

For several moments, neither one of them said anything. Raven was wondering if her quickdraw could take him down, but he interrupted her when he said, "You've been sold out."

Raven narrowed her eyes. "Really?" He nodded. She found that hard to believe, considering her team was comprised of four members excluding herself, all of whom had been working for Trigon Industries much longer than she had. "By who?"

"Your accomplice Jinx called me at my office and told me the plan." He said. "She said she wanted to defect, as long as we guaranteed her protection."

"And you're here to take me in." Raven finished for him. "Well, I'm not going down without a fight." She started reaching for her pistol, but he held up a hand to stop her.

"Not necessarily." He took a step towards her. "I was able to keep her on the phone long enough to trace her location." Raven didn't move as he took a second step forward.

"And?" She asked, not sure where he was going with this.

"I could have her take the fall for you." He said simply, pursing his lips into a thin line.

"Why would you do that?" She asked.

"Because, I think deep down, you're a good person who isn't suited for this life." He said seriously. He took another step forward.

"What gave you that idea?" She asked, getting ready for a surprise attack. "I wasn't aware you knew what type of person I was."

It didn't come. Instead, he continued, "Because when I pulled you from that trainwreck in Quebec three years ago, you were mumbling about "forgiveness". Correct me if I'm wrong, but only people with regrets ask to be forgiven. And I think you regret choosing this type of life."

She didn't say anything, only looked between his eyes.

"So I'm offering you a chance to walk away. I can help set you up with funds and a passport out of the country. All I have to do is make one phone call, and Jinx will get blamed for whatever you did tonight, and you can disappear so thoroughly that your employer will never find you." He held out his hand, giving her a serious look.

Raven looked down at the hand between them, pondering whether to reach out and accept his help or turn around and refuse.

~Spies AU~

Three years later, a very tired Richard Grayson returned to his apartment building, holding the mail in his left hand as he pushed the front door open, closing it behind him and locking it. Falling down on the couch without any pretense of grace, he started cycling through his mail. _"Bills… bills… rent… coupons…"_

He got to the last envelope, which caught his attention because all it had was his name on it. No return address, no stamp, just his name written in very clean and flowing cursive. Setting the other envelopes on the coffee table in front of him, he sat up and tore the one in his hands open. Pulling out the piece of paper within, he unfolded it and raised an eyebrow before smiling.

In the same flowing cursive written on the envelope, were the words,

 _Thank you._

And a small raven emblem had been stamped at the bottom of the page.


	4. Old and Senile

A/N

So I had originally planned for angst but it ended up being cute instead. Damn my inability to write a serious story.

~Old and Senile~

"Who are you?"

The first time he asked her that, Raven had been 23, and out buying groceries for the small apartment she and Richard had just moved into together. Richard (once the hero known as Robin) was just starting off his day career as a police officer, and had been doing great with his solo career as Nightwing. Well, duo career would be a better term, because Raven still accompanied him out on patrol.

She'd looked up from the packages on the shelves in front of her, turning to face her fiance and frowning. "Richard, you know who I am." She stated bluntly, glad to run into him by accident, but unsure what exactly he was doing.

He continued to flirt with her, saying things like she was the most beautiful person he'd ever met and that his girlfriend couldn't hold a candle to her. Raven had of course picked up on his game flirted back, saying that his current boyfriend was a trained fighter and would beat his ass if he didn't leave her alone.

"Who are you?"

The second time he asked her, Raven had been in her late forties, and was sitting beside his hospital bed. The Justice League and the Titans had worked together to stop Brainiac from assimilating Earth into his Nexus of Knowledge, but the resulting battle had left him with a temporary amnesia. "I promise, I'll never forget you!" He'd exclaimed once his memory had returned.

"You'd better not." She warned him, not even bothering to hide the relief in her voice. It had been a scary six weeks, trying to explain who he was and what he'd done for the world, not to mention for her. But she never gave up hope that he would get his memory back; and even if he didn't, Richard was still her husband. She had plenty of photo's and videos and a house they shared to prove it. But luckily it hadn't mattered, and the sweet, gentle, almost innocent kiss he gave her proved it to her beyond a shadow of a doubt.

"Who are you?"

68\. They'd retired by now. Mostly. Richard was still in great condition, but he was getting slower in combat, and their enemies were changing, becoming more and more dangerous. It felt like Earth was home to more superhumans than actual humans. Richard had retired from going out and fighting, but he still trained new heroes, as did Raven.

When he asked who she was for the third time, he'd just exited their bedroom, and Raven had rolled her eyes. "Eat your breakfast, love. We have a busy day today." She picked up her fork and started cutting the sausage on her plate.

"I asked who you were." Richard said, his voice low and serious, reminding her of the times he'd interrogated criminals. "How did you get into my house?" He was standing still, tensed, as though he were serious.

"I'm your wife of over thirty years, the mother of both of your children, and the lady who is going to make the rest of your life very painful if you make us late to our appointment with the insurance company." Raven said.

Richard's lost his ability to keep a straight face. "Eh, I'm not that old anyways." He sat down and started eating, but when Raven suddenly stilled across from him, he leaned forward. "Don't worry, even when I'm old and lost all my memory, I'll still remember you." He knew that, just for a second, the idea of Richard actually forgetting her had crossed Raven's mind.

97.

Almost a century. So much had changed, so much had taken place, so many near deaths and last minute escapes and the occasional late mortgage payment. But they were still together. When they had first met at the tender age of sixteen, the term "soulmate" was already an old fashioned term. And at the age of 16, with the threat of the prophecy hanging over her head, Raven had never considered that she could've had a soulmate.

But as she looked to her left, and saw the man she'd spent almost her entire life with laying in the hospital bed beside her own, she was positive that there was no other word she could've used.

He turned to her and smiled, twisting slightly so he was facing her. "I know you."

Raven smiled back. He kept his promise. Even though his memory had faded, he never forgot her.

~Old and Senile~

A/N

More like recollection than old and senile, right? I actually wasn't sure how write the senile part of this, because I can't remember the last time I met someone old enough to be considered senile.

Short and sweet, but I like this piece a lot. No need to make every chapter 5000 words long, you know?


	5. Power Outage

If Raven had to pick a favourite season, it would be spring. That was for a few different reasons, but the main one was that it reminded her of Azarath. Her home's weather didn't really change much, and she couldn't remember a time from her childhood where it had been hot like summer or chilly like fall, or definitely not cold like winter.

If she had to choose a least favourite season after moving to Earth, it would most definitely be winter. The holiday season was awful (seriously, why did Americans put so many holidays so close together?), she got sick easily (her demon half didn't provide immunity to the cold), and the snow froze everything over and made it a huge hassle deal with anything outside.

And inside, after the worst blizzard to hit Jump City in 18 years knocked out the power to Titans Tower.

It was late in the day, and Raven had been reading in her bed when the power had suddenly gone out. At first, she hadn't been quite aware of it, not until she began shivering and noticed that the heat wasn't on. Putting her book down and approached her door, which didn't open automatically like it should have, was what made her realize that the power was off.

Using her magic, she slid the door open, then walked out into the hallway.

"Raven!" She heard Robin's voice coming from down the hall, though it was extremely muffled. She went to his room and opened his door with magic as well. "Thanks. My lamp suddenly turned off; the storm must've knocked the power out."

"You think?" She asked with no small amount of sarcasm. She could just see him roll his eyes behind his mask. "Hopefully the power comes back soon. I'm not keen on freezing to death."

"Don't worry." Robin said. "The backup generator will kick on soon."

They waited for a few moments, but nothing happened. Robin tried to turn the lights on, but his room remained in the slight darkness of a cloudy, snowy evening.

"Of course." Raven sighed. "Why would anything go according to plan?"

"To be fair, we only built the backup generator. We haven't been given a chance to test it out yet." Robin said.

"Call Cyborg. Hopefully he can help us figure it out." Raven shivered slightly, pulled her cloak tighter around herself.

Robin nodded, pulling out his communicator. Raven came and stood beside him, and they watched as the call went unanswered. Frowning, Robin tried to call him a second time, but again Cyborg didn't answer. "Guess he must be busy." When Raven groaned, he tried to cheer her up with by giving her a small smile. "Just try to stay warm. Grab some extra blankets out of the linen closet if you have to."

Raven nodded, closing his door and walking back to her room, grabbing some extra blankets along the way. After laying the extra blankets on top of her regular ones, she climbed beneath them and picked her book up, picking up where she left off.

At first, she did warm up, and she moved steadily through three chapters. But then shivered. And pulled the blankets closer. And when she saw her breath, cursed, muttering to herself, "Great, my windows are leaking the negative thirty air inside." She put her book down (it was dark by now, and with no power she couldn't read anyways), and lay on her side, pulling the blankets up to her chin in a vain attempt to ward off the cold.

After a few moments, she realized the futility of her efforts and stood, going to the one place she knew it was warm.

"What are you doing?" Robin asked as she slid his door open. Raven didn't answer, just put her blankets on top of his and then pulled them open, climbing in beside him. "Woah!" He gasped as the cold clinging to Raven was suddenly transferred to him (and partially because her icicle fingers had slid up his shirt without any warning).

Shifting slightly, he pulled Raven closer, rubbing her upper arms and back in an attempt to warm her up. She sighed, shivering as the cold left her body and feeling returned to her extremities. She flexed her toes, then her fingers, and pulled away from Robin, turning so her back was facing him.

Robin hesitantly draped an arm over her. When she didn't push it away, he allowed himself to relax. A few minutes later, he fell asleep.

~Power Outage~

The power didn't return the next day, and the interior of the tower steadily got colder. They swapped sharing body heat in his bed for sharing body heat on the couch, trying to pass the time by playing chess or sharing the crosswords they hadn't completed. They were lucky enough not to be bothered by any villain attacks; the storm had probably made the idea of robbing banks more of a hassle than a possibly profitable adventure.

The storm itself only got worse; the wind howled outside, and when they looked out the window, instead of seeing the ocean, or even the ground beneath them, all they could see was an ethereal white plane.

"Maybe the snow built all the way up to this floor." Raven said as they were sitting on the couch. "It certainly hasn't stopped for three days."

"I'd hate to be the person who clears that away. It's like… 150 feet to the ground." Robin said.

"The weather just had to wait until Star went to Tamaran to get cold and freezing. I'm sure she could melt the snow away _and_ provide plenty of body heat." Raven looked up to the ceiling, as though hoping Starfire would suddenly burst through and save them.

Robin muttered something under his breath, but Raven didn't hear it. "What was that?"

"Nothing!" He quickly turned to face her, and she could swear he was blushing. "I just said you're plenty warm, that's all."

Unsure of how to respond, Raven turned to look ahead, trying to determine if there was some double meaning behind his words or not.

~Power Outage~

"W-W-We're going t-t-t-to die." Raven chattered, pulling Robin closer to her. "And it-it-it-it-it's going to b-b-b-be in our ho-home!"

"I wish Beast-B-B-Boy were here." Robin wasn't shivering quite as bad Raven was, but he still couldn't stop the stutter the cold brought on. "He c-c-could turn to a bear a-a-and warm us up." He tried pulling the multiple blankets closer to them, but there was no way to get them warmer.

"I'd rather d-d-die than cuddle with B-Beastboy." Raven managed to get out.

The tower was now officially so cold that no matter one went, they could see their breath hanging in the air. If one were to try and pour water on the ground, it would freeze on contact, and probably in the air as it fell.

"W-Wish Cyborg would pick up his d-damn communicator." Robin said angrily. There was no way that he could've been that busy. Even Robin's brilliant mind couldn't figure out the complicated mess of a backup generator Cyborg had built. "W-Wait! T-T-Teleport us to Hawaii!"

Raven shook her head. "I can't f-f-focus my powers in this c-cold!" She responded. "If we s-s-s-survive this, we're b-b-building a firep-p-place."

~Power Outage~

"Robin."

He stirred slightly, letting out a grunt.

"Robin, wake up."

He mumbled something about dying, and then he was grabbed by the shoulders and shaken roughly.

"Hey! The powers back on."

Robin opened his eyes and sat up, and realized how insanely hot and sweaty he was. Raven had thrown the covers off them at some point, but he still felt like he'd just stepped out of an oven. "When did that happen?" He asked groggily, sitting up and pulling his shirt off.

Raven fought the blush down and looked away. "I'm not sure. Your lamp turned on and woke me up a few minutes ago, and then the heater turned back on. I think the storm's passed, or the worst part anyways."

"Yaaaaay." Robin cheered, falling back down on his bed.

Raven grinned and shook her head, moving to stand and return to her own room. A pair of hands snaked their way around her waist and gently pulled her back down, stopping her from moving. "What are you doing?" She asked.

"I like holding you." His words were slightly muffled by the pillow, but there was mistaking them.

Raven blinked, then hesitated… then lay down beside him, pulling just one of the blankets up to their waistline. Before she fell asleep, Raven's last thought was, _"Maybe winter isn't so bad after all."_


	6. Partying

A/N

So this piece of garbage was inspired by the song "After School" by Vinter in Hollywood. I wasn't quite sure how to write this actually, but then I put that song on and bam! The scene just materialized in my head.

~Partying~

The Titans tower was in full swing, celebrating the defeat of the Brotherhood of Evil. Two days ago, one of the most powerful groups of supervillains ever to rise had fallen at the hands of the Titans, proving once again that crime would never pay off.

And how else to celebrate other than with tons of pizza, loud music, and annoying strobe lights?

Normally the five founding members of the Teen Titans would celebrate a victorious battle with pizza, ice cream, and a night out on the town they'd just saved, but considering the huge number of heroes that had participated in their last battle, ordering so much pizza that two stores went out of stock seemed in order.

The strobe lights had been built in by Cyborg (for some reason Raven couldn't remember) a long time ago, and honestly she'd forgotten that they were there pressed a button on one of the computer panels located in the common room, revealing a DJ Station that had also been built in by Cyborg.

Raven had only contributed to the party in so much as carrying some of the pizza upstairs, but other than that, she'd stayed on the edges of the common, avoiding conversations and taking small sips from her soda can as she waited for the others to leave her home.

Most conversations went along the lines of:

"Hey, you're Raven!" They would yell over the booming music.

"I suppose." She said, usually too quiet for the other person to hear, and then she'd have to repeat herself.

"Is it true that you have this power?" (Normally the asker would specify the power, but after getting so many requests, Raven had lost track of the specifics.) Or alternatively, "I've wanted to meet you for so long!" (In which Raven had to wonder why meeting a fellow superhero would be anything noteworthy), and her favourite ice breaker had to be, "Cool party, right?"

"No." Raven would say, brushing off whichever Titan had asked her and walking on. The couch was filled with various Titans, all of whom were swapping stories like old war veterans. The kitchen was where the pizza and drinks were (and also the site of Speedy trying to convince Cyborg to let them get booze), so that was a no-go.

The door to the hallway was open as well, where she could see a few other Titans who had spilled out of the common room. Great. Retreating to her room was no longer an option either. Not like going to her room would drown out the loud music, even if it barred other people, nor would it stop people from looking for her, either.

As if on cue, a hand was placed on her shoulder. She turned around, ready to snap at whoever had touched her, only to find a Robin with a very concerned look on his face. "You alright?" He shouted, trying to make himself heard over the dubstep. "You've been standing there glaring for the past three minutes!"

"I'm pissed!" Raven shouted back. Robin leaned closer so she wouldn't have to shout. "The music is annoying, on top of that it's so loud that I can't hear myself think, it's hot and stuffy from how many people are crammed in here, and on top of all that, all of their stupid emotions are pressing against me and getting on my nerves! So yeah, I'd say glaring is about right!" She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Can't you make these people go away?"

"No!" Robin said. "But I have an idea, c'mon!" He grabbed her hand and led her through the crowd of people. She looked down at the ground, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other and trusting Robin to lead her… wherever he was taking her. They passed through the doors and into the hallway, through another door, and Robin said, "Mind the stairs."

Raven looked up as they ascended the stairwell. The cool night air was undeniably refreshing as they stepped out onto the roof. Raven took a deep breath of the crisp, clean air, sighing in satisfaction. She hadn't realized that she'd been sweating slightly until the air contrasted with her, making her shiver slightly.

She turned to Robin and smiled gratefully. "Thanks."

"No problem. I know this kind of party isn't your scene, anyways." He replied as he approached the edge of the roof, sitting down and letting his legs dangle off the edge. Raven joined him, and the two lapsed into a comfortable silence, at least until she felt a pang of disappointment go through him.

"What's wrong?"

"Hmm?" He turned to face her. "Oh, nothing. I was just wishing we had some pizza up here." With a snap of her fingers, Raven teleported an unopened box up to the roof. Robin grinned, opening the box and taking a slice out. " _Now_ it's perfect." He said before taking a bite.

Raven paused as she held her slice. "What is?" She asked, confused.

"The party." He shrugged, as though that should've been obvious.

Raven frowned, looking out over the bay to Jump City. "Sure. The loud music, annoying small talk, and the mess _we're_ going to have to clean up sure is great." She said, taking a small bite out of her pizza slice.

"Okay, maybe that part isn't so great." He conceded with a chuckle. "But this part is."

Again, Raven turned to him with a confused look. "Huh?"

Robin just smiled, staring at the piece of pizza in his hands like it was a puzzle. "Spending time with you." He took another bite out of his pizza. "I mean, we just saved the world, we've got pizza, we've got a great view, and we've got each other… what isn't perfect about this situation?" He asked.

She didn't respond immediately, but the more she thought about it, the harder Raven found it not to smile.

He was right. Nearly all of their bad guys were frozen in ice and trapped beneath ten thousand pounds of rubble, the skyline of Jump City looked almost like it had been pulled out of a romanticized painting, and the spring night was comfortably cool, showing plenty of stars in the night sky above them.

And yeah, if Raven had to have anyone with her right now, she'd choose Robin everytime.


	7. Roommates

Richard did not scare easily, but suddenly plopping into his bed in the middle of the night was an easy way to go about it. He bolted upright, scrambling to get out from under his covers and stand so he could protect himself from the intruder. He unceremoniously kicked the covers off his foot and turned the lamp on, opened his nightstands drawer, and was reaching for the handgun he kept there before he realized who had woken him up.

"Rachel?" He asked, taking a deep breath and calming himself down. His roommate of the past three years had fallen face first into his bed, which might've been funny to an outside viewer, but he had work in three hours, and being woken up in a frightening manner left him annoyed instead of amused. "What are you doing?"

"Mm fmf hfmmf hhfmmf mm. Hmmh hmf fhf fhhm?"

Richard sighed. "I can't understand you." He said, crouching down so he was closer to her.

Rachel turned her head so her face wasn't in his pillow. Her hair fell across her face, but her eye was still visible. "I shaid, I'm tryna sleep cause I'm sleepy. What are _you_ doing?" She repeated.

"Are you drunk?" He asked. Rachel had been dragged off to some club by their friends earlier, if he remembered correctly. "I thought you were the designated driver?" Normally, Richard would've offered to drive for them, but he'd been exhausted after spending all day at his desk hunched over police reports.

"Water you gunna do? Arrest me?" She taunted.

"No, but-"

"Terra said she would drive." Rachel cut him off. "So i's not a crime for me to be drunk an in the car!" She reasoned. "I washn't behind the wheel."

Now that he was fully awake, his brain was starting to process what she was going on about. "Well, that's fine, I suppose…"

"But I'm not suppos to tell you that she was drunk too."

Richard facepalmed. "Alright, it's late, and I have work in three hours." He walked over to his bed and helped Rachel stand up. "Let's get you back to your room." He took two steps towards his door before Rachel shook her head.

"We can't. They locked us in." She told him.

"That's impossible." Richard said defiantly. "The lock is on this of the door. And the door opens into my room." He pointed out. "There's no way they locked it from out in the hall."

"Uh huh!" Rachel sounded almost like a young schoolgirl. "Victor met us, and after he and Kori got super drunk, they came up with some doo-hickey that locked us in here."

"And you let them use it?!" Richard asked in utter confusion. "Why?"

"They said they were only trying to help." She mumbled, her voice soft.

He frowned, wondering why she suddenly seemed upset. Richard turned to look at her, and she wobbled slightly. "Help with what?" He asked.

"I told them that I thought you were attractive." She stated bluntly. At first Richard thought he'd misheard her, but then he saw that her face was completely red. She'd been blushing slightly before, but that was most definitely a side effect of the alcohol. "And they asked why you hadn't made a move on me, even though I've been sending you signs all the time." She suddenly narrowed her eyes and pointed a finger at him. "Y'know you're a baaaad detective. I take back my conglaturations I gave you."

She started leaning backwards, and Richard waited for her to steady herself. She didn't, and her arms started flailing wildly. He stepped forward and steadied her, putting a hand on her waist while the other grabbing her arm. Rachel looked up at him with wide eyes, and neither one of them moved.

And finally, what Rachel said clicked with him.

"They locked you in here with me because you said you wanted to sleep with me?" He asked.

Rachel nodded. "But I'm too drunk to have sex with you right now." He felt the heat rise to his face at her response. "So we'll have to try some other time."

He sighed. "Well, not that I'm opposed, but it's late. C'mon."

Richard helped her over to his mattress, ignoring the snickering and the "He got me in bed!" she mumbled as he pulled off her shoes and jacket before pulling the covers over her. He walked over to his closet and grabbed one of the jackets, intending on using it as a makeshift blanket since Rachel had passed out beneath his. Grabbing one of the extra pillows off the bed, he laid down on his floor, hoping that he wouldn't be too tired when he got up in a few hours.

~Roommate AU~

 _BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP_

Richard's eyes cracked open as his alarm went off so loud it could've woken the dead. He didn't move at first, and that was almost his undoing. Just as he turned to lay on his back, a foot came down next to his head and nearly curbstomped him. His eyes widened in fear and he froze as Rachel flew out of his bed and ran over to the door. She twisted the knob left and right, shook the door, and then fell to her knees.

Richard realized what was happening and acted quickly, grabbing his trashcan and dumping out the contents as he moved over to Rachel. He put it in front of her just as she started to vomit, narrowly saving his bedroom carpet. He pulled her hair back to keep it out of the way, and tried his best to ease her discomfort.

The morning after his 21st birthday had been similar, and he'd been smart to ask off for work the next day. Rachel mumbled something about it being too hot, so he stood and turned his fan on. Trying his doorknob, Richard realized that she'd been telling the truth last night about their friends locking them in.

Out in the hall, Garfield and Terra had fallen asleep against each other. They'd been assigned watch duty to make sure Kori and Victor's "genius" plan went off without a hitch. But they'd fallen asleep soon after they locked Rachel in Richard's room.

The door was kicked off its hinges, and both of them jolted upright as it crashed against the opposite wall. They took one look at the glare on Richard's face and decided that they wanted to live to old age, scrambling to their feet and running for their lives. "Tell Victor he's paying for that!" Richard yelled after them. His upstairs neighbor yelled at him to quiet down, and he sighed.

Walking into the kitchen and grabbing an empty glass out of the cabinet, he filled it with ice and water and walked back to his room, where Rachel was still leaning over the trashcan. "Here." He offered her the glass of water, and she grabbed it and took a small sip from it. "How you feeling?"

She groaned. "Everytime I've ever gotten this drunk, I always say never again. Why, oh why, can't I stick to that?" She asked. Richard chuckled, placing a soothing hand on her shoulder.

"So, like shit." Richard confirmed. "You want me to help to your room?" He asked. Rachel nodded, grabbing the trash can and slowly standing. She grabbed onto Richard for support, far too dizzy from her hangover to stand on her own. They made it to her room, and Rachel got into her bed, laying down on her side. Richard put the trash can on the floor beside her, in case she needed it again, and said, "Alright, I have to get ready for work. If you need anything, just holler."

~Roommate AU~

Several hours later, Richard finally returned home after a long day at the precinct. He closed the door behind him as he walked inside, pulling the chain latch over and locking it. Walking inside, he saw that Rachel was sitting at the kitchen table, reading. "Hey. You feeling better?" He asked, setting his briefcase down on the couch.

She nodded and said, "After I took a nap and showered, I felt much better. But I'm going to kill Kori the next time I see her." She said.

"Make sure you take the stuff I told you and put it to use, then. If you get arrested, I'm going to have to pick up the other half of rent, which I'd rather avoid. It was the whole point of moving in with you." Richard said.

Rachel nodded, remembering how they'd agreed to share an apartment three years ago. Rachel was trying to save money, and told Kori that if she had a roommate, it would certainly make her life easier. The news passed from her to Victor, then from Victor to Terra, and finally from Terra to him. After learning that they had mutual friends and a common desire to have more money, they'd agreed to get a cheap apartment downtown. The rest, as they say, is history.

Richard opened the fridge, grabbing the ham out and closing the door behind him. As he started making a sandwich, Rachel spoke up. "Sorry about last night." He turned to look at her from his spot at the counter. "I didn't mean to ambush you like that."

Richard shrugged. "It's alright." He said as he put the ham back in the fridge. "Nothing happened, so you don't need to apologize."

"Hmm." Rachel looked down at the table. "But you know…"

He turned to look at her, the sandwich in his hands halfway up to his mouth.

"Last night, you said you weren't opposed to trying some other time."

The room suddenly got very, very tense.

~Roommate AU~

A/N

And the rest is left up to you guys! Oh, this was a great week. I'm seriously looking forward to next year's robrae week as well.


End file.
